Defense dragging Bulls down

The Bulls have yet to lose three straight regular-season games under Tom Thibodeau. (Scott Strazzante/Tribune Photo)

The Chicago Bulls never have lost three straight regular-season games under Tom Thibodeau, but they will need to beat the Houston Rockets on Wednesday to keep that run intact.

To do so, the Bulls must improve defensively, having surrendered 100 or more points in four straight games for the first time under Thibodeau.

It's pertinent to point out the Bulls were 6-4 after Thibodeau's first 10 games as coach in 2010-11. The Bulls rallied to go 62-20 and Thibodeau won Coach of the Year.

That team allowed an average of 99.8 points per game through the first 10 games but rallied to finish second in the league in points allowed at 91.3. The Bulls need to hope this team is just making a similarly slow transition to Thibodeau's system.

However, that team featured defensive-minded players like Ronnie Brewer and Omer Asik.

"It's five guys tied together," Thibodeau said on Sunday in Portland. "We need to play better defense collectively."